Sword, Sadness and Smile
by takaondo
Summary: He, who has nothing to fight for. She, who has everything to hide. Their hearts are surrounded by thick walls, protecting their secret memories. But with a rough meeting and a shaky start, those walls slowly start to crumble piece by piece. AU IchiRuki
1. Serendipity

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach in any way, this story is merely based on it.

**Author's Notes:** Alright, here's an attempt at a more serious drama here. Like usual, it'll be IchiRuki. Unlike usual, I don't have a clue about how I'm going to do this. Every chapter will be around ten pages long, and will be worked on with several other writings as I go through them. This is an AU story, so it will be merely based on the canon. The writing's slightly different from my others, I will leave cultural notes inside the story for _**reference, **_so be on the look out for them. If it ruins the writing flow, let me know. What I'm hoping to get out of this is a little more practice before **_'Illusions'_** (I'm sorry everyone, I'm not ready to write it yet) and more fun with character development.

Don't go easy on me. If you don't like something, blow me out of the water for all I care; I want to turn this into something I can be proud of. Be aware that this is the first chapter though - I'm not revealing much of anything here.

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_**Serendipity**_

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It was just another day, and another moment.

_"The next train to Downtown Karakura will be arriving momentarily."_

A train came into the station and passed right by him, but he stayed unhindered as the wind blew into his messy orange hair. He merely stood there, straight as a pole as the train came to a complete stop. The doors opened and there was an instant reaction; the people around him clambered on quickly as the free seats filled up.

"Alright, please quickly and orderly get on the train." A conductor said from the back, gently pushing passengers onto the train.

He followed the closest person in front of him, an old smiling lady talking to her grandchild. A scowl had formed on his face at that point as he felt people pushing into his back, and threatening to push him into those in front of him.

He soon walked onto the train and gently pushed his way passed the people getting off. His brown eyes shifted back and forth, finally landing on an empty seat in the far corner. He quickly walked over to the seat, pulling off his school bag while doing so.

"Oof-" He grunted as someone crashed into his shoulder and ran straight over to the seat. His bag was knocked onto the ground in the process, his books and papers flying everywhere.

That someone was a girl, and a relatively short girl for that matter. She wore their school uniform, so he deducted that she must have went to his school. He scowled as he bent down to pick up his things. She didn't even turn to him as she sat down.

"Oi, watch where you're going next time." He said angrily as the girl slowly turned to him. His eyes widened slightly in surprise as he stared at her.

Long black bangs covered most of her face, but he could still see a small spark of indigo through the blinds of black hair. It was like she was trying to hide her face with her hair, something that made her very interesting to him.

"You should watch where you're standing." She replied rather spicily.

He quickly stood back up after gathering his things and glared at her.

"Maybe if you didn't have so much hair in front of your eyes you would have seen me." He retorted heatedly. The girl seemed unfazed by his comment.

"It's hard to miss that nasty orange hair." She replied rather simply.

As he was about to make another comment, the train started to move. Falling over from the momentum, a dull thud was heard as he crashed into the door. The girl had turned away from him, seemingly satisfied with his pain. He only cursed under his breath, holding onto a bar as he kept his eye contact away from her. He was angry; he knew he saw a smirk form on her face before she turned away.

"Excuse me!"

He turned as he heard the girl yell out, but it was apparently towards the same elderly woman and the child from before.

"Please, take my seat." She said, motioning them over.

As they sat down, the train came to a halting stop. The girl fell forward but he grabbed onto her arm to help support her.

"I didn't ask for your help." She said without turning to him.

"I'm not helping you…" He replied, slipping his hand over her bag. As he snapped open the button, he pulled up a foot and kicked her in the rump, sending her falling over comically and sending her books sprawling onto the floor.

He smirked as she turned to him with an indignant look.

"It's called retribution." He finished with a smirk.

"YOU BASTARD!"

He only laughed as she got up to chase him, weaving back and forth between the people. He jumped off the train, the doors closing before she could reach him. With an arrogant smirk and salute, he walked away with her banging on the windows.

Later that morning at the school, the girl was out at the rooftop. It was just a few minutes before class time - but she didn't care in the least. She wanted to look out over the new city she had come to, and the roof of the school was the perfect place. Her hands gripped the bars gently as she stared out, the wind blowing her hair slightly to reveal her indigo eyes.

"What are you doing here?" A voice said. Her hands gripped the bar as she knew who that voice belonged to.

"I'm the new transfer student." She said as she slowly turned towards the newcomer. "Is that really a bad thing, Renji?"

The figure stepped out from the shadows of the entrance.

"Not really." He replied bluntly.

He rubbed his head, his red hair flowing out from behind a bandana.

"It's been four years hasn't it?"

"Yeah." She replied as she turned back to look out.

Her mouth frowned as she once again clenched the bar.

"So… how have you been?" Renji followed up rather awkwardly, his hands in his pockets.

Her eyes could be seen narrowing slightly as her grip on the bar got stronger. A frown was etched onto her face as she slowly released it. She turned and walked towards him, not looking at him. Her body seemed to have been tensed up, as if she was holding in something.

"Wouldn't you like to know…" She said softly as she walked past him. Renji's eyes widened as he turned towards her.

"Are you mad about something-"

Renji eyes narrowed before he could finish – she was already out of sight.

The bell rang a few minutes later. Class started and everyone was already sitting at their seats. The door to the classroom opened and the teacher walked in. Following her was a new student, only familiar to one person in the class. All the other students stood up from their seats as they started their morning routine, staring at the new student's strange appearance.

"Stand, bow!" The teacher said as the students followed.

"Good morning!" The class chorused.

"Please sit!" The teacher finished as they did so. She walked over to the new student with a grin on her face.

"Like I've been reminding everyone, today we have a new transfer student." The teacher said as she turned to her. "I am Ochi-sensei, please introduce yourself to the class."

Writing her name on the board quickly, she turned to the class.

"My name's Kuchiki Rukia, it's a pleasure to meet you all." Rukia said as she started to bow. A clang of the door stopped her mid way as someone rushed into the room.

"Sorry I'm late, Ochi-sensei. There was some slight trouble on the train-"

Rukia looked up at the new comer as he surveyed her back. With wide eyes they turned to face one another.

"YOU!" They both exclaimed. The entire class perked up from their outburst.

Ochi-sensei peeked over, moving her glasses up and down curiously.

"Seems like you two are already acquainted." She said as she looked them over. "I guess I can seat you next to Kurosaki-san then. It's perfect, the seat next him is unattended."

"I don't think that's a good idea." The guy said gruffly.

"I actually agree with him." Rukia said as she turned to the teacher.

"No, no – now please go sit down." She said brightly as she ushered them away. "Japanese period is about to start. I need to take roll call."

They grudgingly made their way to their seats, sitting down without another glance or look at each other. Taking their books out and setting them down onto their respective desks, they waited for roll call.

"Abarai Renji."

The names continued.

"Hisagi Shuuhei."

And finally…

"Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Present." He replied, raising his hand. Rukia held a hand over her mouth, turning a laugh into a cough. As subtly as she had put it, Ichigo had noticed - much to his own annoyance.

"Something funny?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"Ichigo?" She asked slyly. "I guess it fits, you do look like one after all."

"I'm surprised you could see with all that hair in front of your face." Ichigo retorted.

"So you admit to being one?" She replied humorously.

Ichigo growled in annoyance. He could only scowl darkly as she continued to laugh quietly.

"Oh wait, I forgot we have a new addition here!" Ochi-sensei said brightly from the front. "Kuchiki Rukia."

"Present." Rukia replied with her hand raised.

"Rukia?" Ichigo asked as he looked at the name on the board. He smirked as she turned to him in annoyance. "That's funny."

"What's wrong with my name?" She asked indignantly.

"It's spelt out in Katakana." Ichigo replied. **_(Ichigo is making fun of the fact that her name has no literal meaning)_**

Rukia fumed slightly.

"What are you trying to say, _strawberry_?" She muttered angrily with a glare.

"For your information, my name means 'one who protects'." Ichigo said heatedly, more or less miffed about the nickname. "And I'm not trying to say anything!"

"Yes you are." Rukia replied, the volume of her voice slightly rising. "You're implying that your name is better then mine!"

"I'm not implying it, I'm saying it, _Rukia_!" Ichigo replied heatedly.

"My name is still better then yours, _Ichigo_!" Rukia spat back angrily.

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is-"

The teacher coughed, causing both of them to turn forward in surprise.

"Well… if both of you are so talkative this moment, why don't you two read the next dialogue scene from the book." Ochi-sensei said with a slight frown.

Ichigo and Rukia both quickly stood up, both of their faces holding a look of upmost disgust as they ignored one another. Picking up their books from their desks, they slowly looked for the scene they were supposed to read, both of them muttering the exact same thing to another under their breath.

"I hate you…"

It was soon lunchtime, the time of peace and relaxation. Rukia sat at her desk, pulling out her home made lunch onto her table. Many people had left the room. Noticing that Ichigo was also no longer in the classroom, she smiled subtly to herself. As she pulled out her chopsticks, a hand fell upon her shoulder.

"Kuchiki-san?" A sweet voice said as she looked up behind her shoulder. "Why don't you come eat with the girls?"

"Uh… sure…" Rukia said slowly, slightly confused. "You are…"

"Inoue, Inoue Orihime." She said brightly.

Outside on the roof, Ichigo stood by himself. He stared out at the town from this spot everyday during lunch, feeling as it was his sanctuary. His face held a slightly gloomy expression as his eyes narrowed, the wind blowing his orange spikes gently. The sky above him was clear, tinted with small puffs of clouds.

"…" He gave a small sigh as he closed his brown eyes, letting another breeze take him.

Back in the room, Rukia had sat down with the girls at their huddled desks. She felt out of place with the constant chit chat, which seemed to compose of nothing more then gossiping and boys. She could only nod here and there when they would turn their attention back to her.

"So Kuchiki-san, tell us." One of the girls said. She had introduced herself as Mahana a few moments ago. "How did you manage to get Kurosaki to talk to you?

Rukia looked at her curiously, her head tilted slightly to the side.

"Kurosaki is really quite mysterious." Mahana continued with her brows narrowed. "He's part of the Kendo Club but he rarely socializes with anyone."

"He's supposed to be really complex!" Orihime added brightly, waving a hand in front of her face. "I've heard he fights in the Kendo matches, but he never wins any of them!"

"Yeah, I don't recall him ever winning any of his matches." A girl called Ryo said. "The rumor about him selling other school wins might be true."

"He's just misunderstood, that's all." Another girl said plainly. "You all should stop spreading rumors about him."

"If you would only tell us about him, Tatsuki, we wouldn't have this problem!" Another one of the girls said. Her bright read hair matched her blushing face as she stared up dreamily. "I once heard a rumor that he's secretly ga-"

"It's his business - and I'm not that close to him anymore Chizuru." The girl called Tatsuki interjected, a small frown on his face. "But well… he's not really close to anyone for that matter."

There was a moment of silence as the group thought to them selves.

"I don't think he's that complex or mysterious at all." Rukia finally spoke up. She could feel some annoyance rising within her as all the girls stared at her. "That guy's just a big jerk."

All girls giggled at her, getting another look of confusion out of her.

"You're an interesting one, Kuchiki." Tatsuki said with a smile.

Later that day, class was over and Rukia started to walk out onto the school ground. Her bangs blew slightly from the wind, revealing a tired expression on her face. As she neared the school gates, she heard foot steps behind her. Turning around, her eyes narrowed slightly at the newcomer.

"Renji…" She said.

"Rukia." Renji replied gruffly as he walked up to her. He was wearing his blue Kendo uniform, his shinai held to his side. "Tell me why you're ignoring me."** (Shinai is the Japanese name of a bamboo sword used in kendo)**

Rukia stared at him for a few seconds before turning away. Renji stepped forward and grabbed her wrist with his free hand.

"Rukia-"

"Let go of me, Renji." Rukia muttered.

"Tell me what's wrong first!" Renji continued, his voice rising.

"I said let go of me!" Rukia yelled as she jerked her arm.

"NO!" Renji yelled. "Not until we talk!"

"Let go of me, you big baboon!!" Rukia yelled at him again.

"Let go of her, Renji." A voice said from behind them. Ichigo stood there, his expression unreadable as he stared at Renji.

"This isn't any of your business, Ichigo. Why don't you go train or something and stop being a hindrance to our team." Renji said dangerously. Ichigo's expression remained unchanged.

"I said, let go of her." He repeated.

Renji scowled as he released her, pointing his shinai at Ichigo. Rukia stepped back, her eyes slightly wide as she stared at the two. Ichigo's eyes moved to the sword momentarily before back to Renji.

"What's the matter Ichigo?" Renji said angrily. "Afraid?"

His grip on his shinai tightened.

"I told you to stay out of our business!" He yelled as he charged at him. Ichigo quickly brought his own shinai up, blocking the downward strike.

Renji's mouth curled into a smile as he pushed down with more force, nearly breaking through the guard. Ichigo barely side stepped as it struck the ground, creating a thud at the impact.

"Is that all you got, Ichigo?" Renji yelled, continuing his barrage of attacks. "No wonder you're such a loser!"

Ichigo's eyes narrowed as he was pushed back by the blows.

"Don't you dare move, Rukia." Renji continued as Rukia stared at them. "After I'm done with him, we still need to talk."

Ichigo's eyes moved momentarily to Rukia, who continued to watch them. His eyes moved to her wrist that was still slightly red from the force Renji had exerted on her. As they moved back to Renji, his muscles tightened as he blocked another strike.

"You really want all I got?" Ichigo asked, both of their shinai trembling as he pushed back. His eyes glowed with determination. "I'll show you what this loser can do."

Renji was caught in surprise as Ichigo pushed him back roughly, starting his offensive with a barrage of strikes and thrusts. With a quick strike from the side, Renji barely managed to dodge by leaning backwards. His eyes widened as Ichigo continued on with the motion, spinning the shinai around fluidly and knocking him right off his feet.

"Leave her alone." Ichigo finished simply as Renji hit the ground with a thud.

Renji closed his eyes momentarily in pain as he laid on the ground. He slowly opened them, scowling angrily as Ichigo walked over to Rukia.

"I didn't ask for your help, strawberry." Rukia said defiantly.

"You're a freaking ingrate you know that?" Ichigo replied heatedly.

Renji scowled as he watched them argue, his hand gripping onto his shinai once again. He couldn't believe what just happened, and his own anger was starting to take hold of him.

"Next time, you should just-" Rukia stopped mid sentence as her eyes widened. Renji was charging towards Ichigo with his weapon raised. "Watch out!"

Rukia pushed Ichigo aside as Renji swung down. Rukia valiantly raise both arms, aiming to catch the attack between her hands.

"Ow!"

Unfortunately, her perception was a bit off and the shinai hit her forehead with a dull thwack. Both Renji and Ichigo could only watch her stumble slightly before the situation sunk into them.

"Rukia, I'm sorry!" Renji yelled apologetically as he dropped his shinai. "Let me take a look at-"

She smacked his hand away as she started to walk away, her path slightly awkward as she mumbled multiple curses under her breath. Ichigo looked at Renji momentarily before running up to follow her. Renji stood there, his expression unreadable as he stared at their retreating forms.

"Smooth move with that girl." A voice said, a new figure coming up from behind him. "Not to mention you also got your ass kicked by Ichigo."

"I've never seen him fight so well before, Ikkaku." Renji said without turning to him. "I'm going to find out the reason for it."

His hands clenched.

"But before that, I have to find out why Rukia is ignoring me."

At the school fountains, Rukia was still stumbling along as she held both of her hands to her forehead. Ichigo followed behind her as she stopped at the fountain. He scowled as he dropped his things, taking out a towel and soaking it with cold water.

"You really are an idiot you know." Ichigo said as he walked up to her, squeezing the towel dry. "You could have been knocked unconscious."

Rukia turned to him, both hands still on her head.

"Don't talk to me, this is all your fault!" She spat angrily. "You and your stupid chivalry!"

"Come on, let me look at it-"

"Leave me alone!" Rukia yelled as Ichigo sighed.

He placed the towel down on the fountain and roughly pulled her hands away from her head. Rukia stared at him angrily as her indigo eyes pierced into his brown ones.

"You need to stop being so stubborn, Ahokia." Ichigo said gruffly. **_(Ichigo is making a pun out of her name, using 'aho' which is Japanese for idiot)_**

"Don't call me that, strawberry." Rukia replied, annoyed with what he called her. Ichigo gently released her, picking up the cold towel.

"Move your hair, Rukia." Ichigo muttered. Rukia stared at him for a moment, hesitating before gently moving her bangs away from her face. Ichigo's eyes widened slightly as he stared at her.

Her face was beautiful, and he wondered why she would hide it behind all that hair.

"Hurry up." Rukia said as her brows slightly furrowed. Ichigo snapped out of his daze and slowly placed the cold towel on her forehead. Rukia's lips moved awkwardly for a few seconds as Ichigo continued to hold the towel on the red area.

"Thank you… Ichigo…" She whispered almost incoherently.

Ichigo's eyes didn't move from its spot, and continued to stare at the area he was tending to.

"You're welcome… Rukia…"

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End of Chapter 1.

Next Chapter, **_"Synergy".  
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	2. Synergy

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of the characters in this story. (As of now)

**Author's Notes:** Second chapter of this fiction up and ready. The story (like many of my others) are going to be slightly slow in pace, but I want each and everyone of you to see these characters develop over the story. I hope I can do a good job with it, and like always - don't be afraid to literally chew me out if there's something you don't like. Things will play out more through the middle of it, and I've planned 24 chapters as of right now.

There are themes for this writing (sort of like an opening and closing kind of thing), influenced by "Amazing" by High and Mighty Color and "Konna ni Chikaku de" by Crystal Kay.

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_**Synergy**_

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The birds were chirping outside an open window, the morning sunlight gleaming off the clear glass that propped open over it. There was muttering and shuffling from inside the room, its inhabitant well and awake that morning.

Rukia stood next to a phone, her face unseen as the voice she that she was listening to continued to talk.

"Yes, Nii-sama." Rukia replied. "I've made it fine to the hotel."

More chattering could be heard from the phone.

"Everything is fine, I've already enrolled into Karakura High." Rukia continued. "I-"

She was interrupted by the other voice.

"Yes, I still have some funds saved up – ah yes, it should last the entire month."

Rukia's body visibly relaxed as the she got her response.

"Yes Nii-sama… Thank you…."

Her hand slowly placed the phone back onto its hook. She gave a sigh of relief as she closed her eyes, walking over to her bed. Picking up her bag, she did a double take she found a towel under it. Picking it up with a small smirk, she started on her way to school.

At that same moment, Renji was trudging along his way to school. He stared at the ground with his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Finally looking back up, his eyes caught sight of the stores around him. He stared at them as he walked along slowly, finally stopping in front of a flower shop.

He stared at the flowers that were laid out for a few moments, thinking to himself.

"Well… maybe this will help…" Renji said, picking up a bundle of daffodils. He stared at them confidently in typical ignorant male fashion. "Girls love flowers after all."

Putting them back down, he opened his wallet. His eyes widened slightly at its contents, or rather lack of it.

"Well…" He said again as he picked up a much smaller bundle. "This will have to do."

Class soon started, and all the students slowly made their way to their seats. As Ichigo made his way to his desk, he caught sight of Rukia who was already in her own seat.

"Morning, strawberry." Rukia said humorously.

"Same to you, Ahokia." Ichigo replied. He only smirked as he watched her flinch angrily.

"Don't call me that." She muttered dangerously.

"Only if you stop calling me strawberry." Ichigo muttered back as he took things out from his bag.

"It'll be a cold day in hell when I do." Rukia replied stubbornly. She dug into her bag, picking up his towel and throwing it back at him. "Take this thing back, its stinking up my bag."

Ichigo caught with a scowl, staring at it. A look of confusion came over his face, noticing that it had been in fact – washed. It smelled cleaner then it had been when he had given it to her.

"Class will begin now! Stand! Bow!" Ochi-sensei yelled as she slid into the room, her appearance rushed and worn out.

"Good morning!" The class said as she hurried over to the board. Her chest was heaving in and out as she leaned up against it, her glasses sliding down her nose.

"Sit…" She muttered as the sounds of chairs moving filled the room. She took a big breath as she steadied herself on the wall. "I'm… getting too old for this…"

The break for lunch started later that day, and Rukia quickly walked up to teacher. In her hands were some papers that were passed out during their English period.

"Excuse me." Rukia said.

Ochi-sensei looked up from her grading.

"Sensei, I think I need some help with these English assignments." Rukia said as she showed her the papers. "I'm having a lot of trouble with it."

Ochi-sensei looked at the papers with a slight smile on her face.

"I guess the last teachers you had weren't as good as I was!" She said brightly. "Well, how about I pair you up with someone to tutor you?"

"That isn't necessary-" Rukia replied.

"Let's see… Ishida has a lot on his schedule… and she is already tutoring… hmmm…" She interjected as she went through her attendance record. "Ah, how about Kurosaki? You two are familiar with each other already so it should be effective!"

"I think I'll just catch up on my own." Rukia added quickly, a frown gracing her face.

"He may look like a punk, but he has very good grades Kuchiki." Ochi-sensei said. "He'll be a great help to you."

"But sensei-"

"Look here Kuchiki - I'll let you have your way… if…" She held up one of the papers. "You can read this sentence."

Rukia looked at it blankly. Her mouth moved, but no words came out.

"Exactly." Ochi-sensei finished victoriously, snapping her attendance book closed.

Rukia huffed as she turned and started to walk back over to her seat. As she picked up her bag, a hand tapped her on the shoulder. Rukia slowly turned, her eyes narrowing slightly as she stared at the figure.

"Rukia." Renji said. "Can you come with me to the roof?"

Rukia stared at him, her expression unreadable. Renji stared at her with a determined expression, his eyes piercing into hers.

"Please Rukia. Just for a moment." He finished softly.

On the roof, Ichigo was staring out at Karakura again. His things were lying to the side of him, a small bento opened with most of its content eaten. As he closed his eyes to enjoy the peace, he heard the roof door swing open with a clang. Turning around slowly, he saw Rukia and Renji walking up to the other side of the roof.

His eyes narrowed slightly in confusion, noticing that they were too distracted to notice him.

"I'm kind of busy right now, Renji." Rukia said spicily. "Hurry it up."

"Rukia, look…" Renji slowly brought the flowers out from his bag. "I'm sorry for what ever I did…"

He slowly held it out, his face turned away from her.

"I just want to be friends again… I want you to stop ignoring me."

Rukia slowly took it from him, her expression unseen from under her bangs. A frown graced her face as her hands clenched tightly over the flowers.

"You don't even know what you did… and you expect me to forgive you…" Rukia muttered angrily. "You want me to stop ignoring you…"

Renji's eyes widened as she glared at him angrily.

"When you were the one who ignored me for the past four years!"

There was a pause of silence as Ichigo stared at the two from afar, a surprised expression on his face. Renji seemed speechless as he stared at her, his own body frozen from the outburst.

"For four years, I didn't hear from you – not a single letter – not a single phone call!" Rukia yelled. "You didn't even attempt to contact me!"

"Look Rukia, when you were adopted, I didn't think-"

"That I would want to speak with my best friend?" Rukia questioned. "By the time I was able to find your adopted family, you had already run away from them and gone missing… I had hoped that you would try and find me, just like I did you…"

Rukia's indigo eyes narrowed.

"But I never heard anything from you."

Renji scowled angrily as he felt the guilt rise up within himself.

"I had my own problems during the past four years, Rukia!" Renji replied.

"I couldn't have known that now, could I?" Rukia muttered. She slowly dropped the flowers, the item slowly falling to the ground as she slowly walked past him and back to the door. Renji stood there, a scowl on his face as he stared at them on the ground.

Ichigo watched as he cursed angrily and kicked the flowers before turning to leave. He slowly turned back to look out, now deep in thought over what he just heard.

As class ended later that day, Ichigo started to pack up his things. As he started to walk out the door, someone called out to him. He turned to Ochi-sensei, who was stand with a rather annoyed looking Rukia. Their eyes met momentarily before he focused on his teacher.

"Kurosaki, I want you to tutor Kuchiki in English during your free time." She said brightly.

"Hah?" Ichigo replied stupidly. He turned to Rukia.

"Don't look at me, I never agreed to it either." Rukia said defiantly. Ichigo turned back to his teacher.

"What if I refuse?" Ichigo said with a slight scowl on his face.

"Well, for one – Kuchiki will fail." Ochi-sensei said. Ichigo's expression didn't change.

"I can live with that – OW!" He yelled as Rukia subtly stepped on his foot.

"And then I'll have to notify your father." She finished with a smile. Ichigo instantly paled.

"We're starting today, you better be a fast learner." Ichigo said quickly as he pulled Rukia out by her wrist with a scowl. Rukia scowled as well, letting him pull her gently out of the room. Neither of them saw the reaction of the class, who were watching them with interest.

They walked in comfortable silence after that, Rukia trailing behind a still scowling Ichigo. Ichigo's eyes moved to the side, turning to her momentarily before facing back forward.

"You're a five feet pain the ass." Ichigo said in annoyance.

"Better then a six feet headache." Rukia replied with a frown.

"Baka." Ichigo muttered.

"Kappa." Rukia retorted.

Ichigo smirked slightly, figuring out what she was doing. Rukia smirked back as they continued their little game of insults. **(The game is called Shiritori, but Ichigo and Rukia are using it to insult each other)**

"Pashiri." Ichigo replied. **(Servant)**

"Risuzaru." Rukia followed up. **(Spider Monkey)**

"Rui." Ichigo responded again. **(Weakling)**

"Ichigo." Rukia said with a smirk. **(Strawberry)**

Ichigo's eye twitched slightly. He recomposed himself and continued.

"Gomi." He said as his eyes caught a piece of trash on the ground. **(Trash)**

"Mi…mi…" Rukia seemed stuck for a moment. "Mimikuso…" **(Earwax)**

Ichigo stopped in his tracks, turning back to her. She stopped as well and stared at him angrily.

"What did you just call me?" Ichigo asked with an amused expression. Rukia flushed lightly behind her bangs, quickly pushing past him. Ichigo smirked as he quickly caught up to her, walking beside her.

"Great insult there, Ahokia."

"Shut up strawberry!"

They walked up to a large house, the words 'Kurosaki Clinic' etched into a large board above the door. Ichigo walked up ahead, placing his ear against the door as Rukia stared at him slight confusion.

"What are you doing, Ichigo?" Rukia asked.

"You'll see." Ichigo responded as he slowly put in his key. "Stand back."

Opening the door, a shadowy figure leapt out from within, a war cry echoing in its wake.

"WELCOME HOME, ICHIIIIGGOOOO-"

Ichigo side stepped rather easily, letting him fall onto the sidewalk cement with a loud crash. Rukia's eyes were wide as she watched the man twitch in pain from his position on the ground. Ichigo seemed unfazed by what was happening, as if it was normal.

"Come in." Ichigo said, holding open the door for her. His eyes were closed in annoyance.

"Who is that-" Rukia said before Ichigo interrupted her.

"No relation." Ichigo said as she walked in. As he started to close the door, he was kicked in the backside, sending him flying into the living room. Rukia only stared at him in surprise as he quickly jumped back to his feet.

"What the hell!?" Ichigo yelled as he got into a defensive stance.

"How dare you not introduce your own father!" The other man yelled hysterically as he pushed Ichigo into a headlock. Fake tears started to sprout from his eyes. "It's like… I'm an embarrassment to you!"

"You are an embarrassment!" Ichigo yelled as he started to elbow his father his father in the stomach.

"I have to agree with him, Pops." A girl said from behind the couch. Only her dark hair could be seen as she continued to watch the television.

"Ichi-nii! Welcome home!" Another girl said, coming in from the kitchen. Her eyes fell on Rukia. "Who's your friend?"

Ichigo hit his father hard, sending him flying into the wall.

"She's a… _friend_ of mine from school." Ichigo said, getting a look from Rukia. "I'm supposed to tutor her in English."

"Good excuse, Ichi-nii." The girl from behind the couch said, propping up to get a better look. Ichigo only scowled at her as Rukia cleared her throat.

"My name's Kuchiki Rukia." She said, bowing to them.

"Hello, I'm Yuzu." Yuzu said as she bowed.

"My name's Karin." Karin said from the couch.

"I'm Kurosaki Isshin!" Isshin said, popping up from nowhere. Rukia flinched lightly at his presence as he took both of her hands. "I'm so glad my son has found a-"

There was a dull thwack as Ichigo punched him, sending him to the ground.

"We'll be studying upstairs in my room, and we don't want to be bothered." Ichigo said, taking her wrist and pulling her to the stairs. Pushing her up ahead of him, he turned to his father who was still lying on the floor. "Don't use cake or juice as an excuse to come up! Got that?"

Isshin looked up at his son with a wide smile, giving him a thumb up.

"Try to keep it down, we have minors-"

Ichigo's bag flew into his face, effectively shutting him up.

Rukia walked into the room with a fifth teen sign on the door. Looking inside, she saw it was very plain looking but it gave her a homely feeling. Ichigo only sighed as he pushed past her, pulling out a chair from under the desk for her to sit on.

"Make sure Rukia-chan stays for dinner!!" Isshin voice yelled from down stairs.

Rukia smirked while Ichigo continued to scowl.

"Your family… they're interesting." Rukia said as she sat down. Ichigo gave her a look of slight annoyance as he sat down on his bed to face her.

"Interesting is almost another word for weird." Ichigo said as he pulled out a book from his desk. "We'll get started on the basics, Rukia… I want to know how much you exactly know before we start."

Rukia nodded, taking out her own book from her bag.

"Alright, lets start with something simple." Ichigo said. "Count from one to twenty in English."

Rukia's eyes narrowed in concentration from behind her bangs.

"One… two… three…. four…. five… six… seven… eight… nine… ten…" Rukia started, her head nodding up and down as she went over it.

She scratched her head slightly, a frustrated look on her face. Her eyes lit up slightly as she thought of her way out of her rut.

"Ten one... ten two… ten three-" **(Rukia compares Japanese to English, thus "Jyuu ichi" is the same as "Ten one") **

"Wrong!" Ichigo said loudly with his arms crossed overhead. He sighed as she gave him a look of annoyance. "You really are an idiot, aren't you?"

Ichigo's eyes widened as she snapped her book closed and whacked him right over his head with it.

Later that night, Ichigo reluctantly brought Rukia downstairs to the kitchen for dinner. They sat at the small dining table, two on each side with Isshin at the front. There was a lot more noise then it was usually, due to an inclusion of a guest at the table.

Ichigo only scowled at the friendliness of his family, noticing how quickly they have taken to her.

"Thanks for having me, Ojisama." Rukia said politely as she placed down her bowl. "I really appreciate the invitation." **(Ojisama is roughly the same as "Mister", or "Uncle")**

She turned to Yuzu who was looking at her expectantly.

"And it tastes terrific." Rukia added, getting a smile from her.

"No problem, Rukia-chan! Anytime!" Isshin said loudly.

"Tell us about yourself, Rukia-chan." Yuzu said as she slowly lowered her bowl. "It's rare that Ichi-nii brings a friend home."

"It's rare that Ichi-nii has friends." Karin added as Ichigo scowled at her.

"Well, there's not much to say." Rukia started with a smirk, as Ichigo continued to pile in his rice. "I just moved in to town about a week ago, and I started school just yesterday."

"What do your folks do for a living?" Isshin inquired brightly.

"Oh… I'm an orphan." Rukia said sheepishly. "I'm currently adopted by someone whom I call my brother."

Isshin had one of those moments where his face softened slightly.

"Ah, we're sorry to hear that." He said gently. Rukia shook her head, dismissing the vibe that had fallen onto them for that moment.

"I was in an orphanage until I was twelve." Rukia continued. "I never knew my real parents."

"We know how hard life can be." Isshin said. "After all, we've lost an important family member-"

"Dad…" Ichigo muttered as Isshin turned to him. He frowned lightly before he smiled again.

"Anyways, eat up! This isn't a time for sadness!" Isshin yelled. "Come on Rukia-chan, have your fill."

Isshin moved towards her with his rice bowl.

"You're going to stuff her if you place any more rice onto her bowl." Ichigo said as he started to push him away.

"Nonsense! I'm a doctor, I know how much she can eat!" Isshin said as he pushed back.

"You probably printed out that degree!" Ichigo replied angrily.

Rukia couldn't help but smile as she watched them argue.

Dinner was soon over and Rukia had packed her things. Ichigo walked up to her as she placed on her shoes, unlocking the front door for her. His eyes followed her as he opened the door.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" Ichigo asked. Rukia only shook her head.

"No, the hotel I'm staying at isn't too far away from here." She said as she turned to him with a smirk. "I don't need you to protect me-"

"Hotel?" Isshin said as he walked out from the kitchen. "You're staying at a hotel?"

"Yes, my brother is paying for me." Rukia replied.

"I'm guessing you're on a pretty tight budget then, right?" Isshin said with a smile.

"Somewhat, but I manage." Rukia replied.

Isshin stared at Ichigo momentarily as he stared back with slight confusion. Ichigo scowled lightly as he understood what his father was trying to comply. He turned to Rukia a serious expression on his face.

"You can stay with us, if you want." Ichigo said gruffly. "We have an extra room in the clinic."

Rukia's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"Oh, I couldn't bother you all with my presence-"

"Nonsense." Isshin said. "You and Ichigo can pick up your stuff after school tomorrow."

Ichigo's expression was unreadable as she turned to him.

"I have Kendo lessons after school tomorrow, so it'll have to be a little later." Ichigo said as he turned away. "I'll go get your room ready."

Her surprised expression never left her face as she stared at Ichigo's retreating form. She turned to Isshin sheepishly as he closed the door and locked it.

"Is this really okay, Ojisama?" Rukia asked. "I don't think he's is too happy about it."

"He may not seem like it, but he's the type that always wants to help people." Isshin said as he turned towards the direction that he left in. "Don't worry, we'll be like one big family."

Rukia smiled at him as she repeated the word softly.

"Family…"

* * *

Finish.

Next chapter, _**"Sympathy"**_


End file.
